More Fingers Pointing at Al Sadr for Iraqi Violence

Free Iraqi reports today that a recent news article from Kuwaiti’s Al-Watan newspaper blames Al Sadr for the recent violence in Iraq. The paper also reports that Iran has been working closely with Al Sadr since his trip to Tehran last month.

She’at sources confirmed to Al-Watan that “Al-Hakeem complained to Sistani that he’s being under pressure from Iran and has been receiving threats from the Sadr trend of inciting chaos and violence in case Ja’fari was replaced by Adil Abdil Mehdi” Clarifying that “Sadr made direct threats through a phone call to Al-Hakeem that he would kill all women members in the UIA and leaders in the SCIRI if Abdil Mehdi replaced Ja’fari”

According to the same sources “Iran replaced it’s strategic alliance with Al-Hakeem by one with Sadr who visited it last month” Announcing “His militias’ readiness to defend Iran in case it was attacked by the US” and pointed out that ” His supporters started intimidating acts against the British forces in Basra provoked by the Revolutionary Guard intelligence stationed in the city who finance and supervise those militias”.

Free Iraqi has another link to a news article from Sawt Al-Iraq website (Arabic link). When you read this, remember these are words coming from a “man of religion”:

Sadr attacked what he called “Nawasib” which is a term used to describe radical Sunnis but at times of sectarian friction can be used to refer to all Sunnis saying 1st that “I used to trust the Association of Sunnis Scholars but they haven’t made a clear stand against the Takfiris yet and anyone who doesn’t do that is a Takfiri too” Then adding “I have the ability to fight those Nawasib and there’s a legitimate cover from the Marjiya and I can confront them militarily and ideologically but I don’t want to be dragged into a civil war” He added ” Once they’re killed by Saddam (Sadr people residents) and once by the occupier and now by the Nawasib God damn them. I’ve done what I can and called for peace and even heard hurtful words from my people, the Shiite for praying with the Nawasib but nothing worked” And then blamed the US again and held it responsible for everything and said commenting on Rumsfeld’s latest statements about civil war ” Ugly and condemned statements. We don’t want your interference God damn you. If you don’t protect people then why are you here?”

US Ambassador Khalil Zada had this little reminder for Al Sadr, not that it makes a difference:

He replied “I want to remind Sadr that Saddam killed his father and that the US toppled Saddam. Without the efforts of the US Saddam would have been in power now and most likely would be followed by his sons and grandsons. He owes us his gratitude for what the American people have done and without us I believe his life would have been in danger.

** It sounds like the rotten fish is really starting to stink. **

Omar also has strong words for Al Sadr. I have never seen a post like this from Omar at Iraq the Model:

You form a multi-thousand men militia, you arm them with all kinds of weapons you can find, you fill them with hatred through your inflammatory speeches, you promise to use your militia to defend Iraq’s worst enemies, you accuse the Sunni of being Takfiri terrorists, accuse the US of supporting this terrorism and accuse Kurds and fellow Shia of being materialistic opportunists and puppets of the US occupier. And your Islamic militia attacks dozens of mosques and kills dozens of people over night.

And after all this you call yourself a patriot.

You are just as dangerous to Iraq as Saddam was or al-Qaeda is.I worked in Basra for a whole year, and I was the only secular person in town of 50,000 devout Shia. They didn’t hate me, they didn’t hurt me and I never felt afraid of being there. On the contrary, there was a great deal of mutual respect between me and the locals I was in contact with.

Al-Qaeda was already murdering Iraqis back then but Iraqis knew who the bad guys were and they didn’t alienate or generalize the term ‘terrorist’ over an entire portion of the community.

It’s you and hateful thugs like you who got us to this point… God damn you.